A psychologist conducted a study to investigate if there is a difference in pre-examination anxiety levels depending on the type of preparation activity. She compared high school students who participated in a 15-minute mindfulness meditation session with those who spent 15 minutes in independent silent study immediately before an exam.
She obtained a random sample of students from a local college. A structured questionnaire was used where each student's anxiety level was rated on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 indicating extremely high anxiety.
A table to show the frequency of pre-exam anxiety ratings, median ratings, and ranges for students in the mindfulness meditation group and the silent study group.
| Anxiety Rating | Frequency (tally) from Mindfulness Group | Frequency (tally) from Silent Study Group |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 3 | 5 | 2 |
| 4 | 8 | 4 |
| 5 | 5 | 6 |
| 6 | 3 | 8 |
| 7 | 1 | 6 |
| 8 | 1 | 4 |
| 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Median Rating | 4 | 6 |
| Range | 7 | 5 |
Outline a conclusion that can be drawn from the above table. Refer to the median ratings as part of your answer.
513 exam-style questions on OCR A Level Psychology Data recording, analysis and presentation. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.